The effect has a rough, artless quality perfect for some musical contexts—and not just punkified ones.

You can replicate most Sonic Youth tunings with the same string set: use two of your usual 5^th strings for the 6^th and 5^th strings, two 4^th strings for the 4^th and 3^rd strings, and two 3^rd strings for the 2^nd and 1^st strings, as if you were tuning A-A-D-D-G-G. (String pitches are listed low to high throughout.) From there you can crank strings up or down for hundreds of possible combinations.

A Sketchy Sketch
Clip 1 is a sketchy demo of the idea. A standard-tuned guitar in the left channel is joined by a narrow-range guitar (tuned G-G-D-D-G-G) on the right. I mutilated the tone with trashy fuzz and didn’t sweat the sloppy tuning.

The effect has a rough, artless quality perfect for some musical contexts—and not just punkified ones. Example: my guitars on Tracy Chapman’s “America.” (Flea’s playing bass, Mitchell Froom and Michael Webster are on keys, and Tracy and Quinn Smith are drumming. Tchad Blake produced.)

Clip 2 is a solo riff in the same tuning. I pick out a tune on the top string pair while droning on the low open strings, or barre across several string pairs for chords.

Tuned G-G-D-D-E-E, the guitar in Clip 3 exploits the clangorous whole-step interval between the upper string pairs.

The tuning options are nearly endless: G-G-D-D-A-A, G-G-D-D-Eb-Eb, G-G-C-C-F-F, G-G-C-C-E-E. I could go on, but instead of over-thinking it, I recommend simply twisting your tuners till the strings resonate nicely with the song, and then picking out simple melodies. For Clip 4, I chose the random key of F minor. I fiddled around and arrived at this F-F-C-C-Eb-Eb tuning.

You don’t have to restrict yourself to unison pairs. One particularly nasty Sonic Youth tuning is G-G-C#-D-G-G, with that gnarly minor second in the middle. Meanwhile Thurston’s “Teenage Riot” tuning is G-A-B-D-E-G, with no unisons. The open strings form a pentatonic scale for a dreamy Aeolian harp effect (Clip 5).

Clip 6 uses the same tuning, but with a drumstick shoved beneath the strings at the 12^th fret (see photo). This mimics an Asian zither, especially when you vibrate and bend strings by pressing down behind the drumstick.

Strictly Stoopid
I saved the stoopidest one for last. In Clip 7, all six strings are tuned to G in various octaves.

This is based on the A-A-A-A-A-A “Gary Glitter tuning,” as heard on “Rock and Roll (Part 1 and 2).”

I learned this one from Polly Harvey, who wrote several songs in this tuning, including “Goodnight,” which I got to play with her on tour.

This technique isn’t for everyone. You might find it overly simplistic and discordant. But why not try slapping on a few spare middle strings before your next string change? At worst, you’ll be amused. With any luck, you’ll be inspired.